Disordered Eating in College Students: Connectedness, Identification, and Addressing the Issue

DISORDERED EATING IN COLLEGE STUDENTS: CONNECTEDNESS, IDENTIFICATION, AND ADDRESSING THE ISSUE

The Problem The DSM IV-TR (APA, 2001) reports a prevalence rate in

the US of .05-1% of the population for anorexia nervosa and 1-3% of the population of bulimia nervosa.

As many as 75% of women consider themselves to be too fat.

American society has a preoccupation with being thin, which encourages the engagement in maladaptive eating behaviors.

Zerbe (1995) reported 80% of women dieted before the age of 18, and further states most women experience negative feelings related to their body image.

College Campuses Disordered eating is becoming more and more prevalent

on college campuses (Krahn, Kurth, Gomberg, & Drewnowski, 2005)

Krahn, Kurth, Gomberg, and Drewnowski (2005) found two thirds of college women were engaging in strict diets and some were even thought to be at risk for developing an eating disorder.

Bulimia nervosa reaches its height around college age (18-24 years of age).

Specifically, major life changes are thought to put people at risk for an eating disorder and beginning college is one of the biggest changes that would occur in someone’s life (Meyer & Russell, 1998).

Definition Eating disorders are defined by a significant disturbance in eating

habits and/or weight control behavior (APA, 2001). These issues cause significant impairment of physical and social

functioning. The DSM IV-TR includes three primary diagnostic classifications for

eating disorders: anorexia nervosa bulimia nervosa Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS)

* Binge eating has also been identified as a potential classification of disordered eating, but has not yet been incorporated into the current edition of the DSM

Most individuals who experience issues with disordered eating also report unrealistic ideas of their physical size and shape, unhealthy evaluation of self-worth, and constant desire to reduce weight.

Research Questions1. How confident do college students feel in appropriately intervening

with a friend who has an eating disorder?2. How important do college students feel it is to be knowledgeable

regarding eating disorders?3. How knowledgeable are college students regarding eating disorders?4. Does perceived confidence in appropriately intervening with a friend

who has an eating disorder differ based on sex, current involvement in disordered eating, and social connections?

5. Does college students’ perceived importance in being knowledgeable regarding eating disorders differ based on sex, current involvement in disordered eating, and social connections?

6. Does overall knowledge regarding eating disorders differ based on sex, current involvement in disordered eating, and social connections?

7. Does current engagement in disordered eating differ based on sex, current involvement in disordered eating, and social connections?

Purpose Statement The purpose of this study is to examine

college students knowledge of disordered eating behavior and further evaluate their confidence addressing these issues with their friends.

This information is important to strengthen future educational efforts related to the identification and acknowledgement of eating disorders with friends and family.

Hypotheses Null hypothesis 1. There will be no significant difference in perceived confidence of college students in

appropriately intervening with a friend who has an eating disorder based on sex. Null hypothesis 2. There will be no significant difference in perceived confidence of college students in

appropriately intervening with a friend who has an eating disorder based on current involvement in disordered eating.

Null hypothesis 3. There will be no significant difference in perceived confidence of college students in appropriately intervening with a friend who has an eating disorder based on social connections.

Null hypothesis 4. There will be no significant difference in how important college students feel it is to be knowledgeable regarding eating disorders based on their sex.

Null hypothesis 5. There will be no significant difference in how important college students feel it is to be knowledgeable regarding eating disorders based on their current involvement in disordered eating.

Null hypothesis 6. There will be no significant difference in how important college students feel it is to be knowledgeable regarding eating disorders based on their social connections

Null hypothesis 7. There will be no significant difference in how knowledgeable college students are regarding eating disorders based on sex.

Null hypothesis 8. There will be no significant difference in how knowledgeable college students are regarding eating disorders based on current involvement in disordered eating

Null hypothesis 9. There will be no significant difference in how knowledgeable college students are regarding eating disorders based on social connections.

Null hypothesis 10. There will be no significant difference in college students’ current involvement of disordered eating based on sex.

Null hypothesis 11. There will be no significant difference in college students’ current involvement in disordered eating based on social connections.

Connectedness A study by Resnick et al., (1997) reported that

warm and caring relationships (in family, school, communities) was found to increase positive behavior and reduce risky behavior.

Feelings of connectedness primarily referred to belonging, support, and being cared for by others.

This concept is primarily defined by Bowlby’s attachment theory (Bowlby, 1982)

Bowlby suggested that we could only understand behavior when considering the environment in which the behavior developed.

Participants N=428 Most participants were female (59.1%) and Caucasian (78.3%) Ages ranged from 17 to 37 (M = 21.44, SD = 2.63). GPA ranged from 4.0 to 1.0 (M = 3.3, SD = 0.45) Majors were characterized into three different categories:

Non Health Education (78.5%) Health Education (13.8%) Psychology (4%)

The majority of participants were employed part time (51.9%). Grade levels:

freshman (15.7%) sophomores (21%) juniors (13.4%) seniors (35.5%) other (5.1%)

Demographics

Confidence Addressing Disordered Eating with Friends

Risk Factors

Warning Signs

Indentifying Myths and Facts

Myths and Facts

Current Disordered Eating Behavior

Current Disordered Eating Behavior

Connectedness

Connectedness

Demographics

Null Hypothesis 1 There will be no significant difference in

perceived confidence of college students in appropriately intervening with a friend who has an eating disorder based on sex. Significant F(5, 408) = 4.813, p < .001

Null Hypothesis 2 There will be no significant difference in

perceived confidence of college students in appropriately intervening with a friend who has an eating disorder based on current involvement in disordered eating. Not Significant F(5, 408) = 1.084 p = .369

Null Hypothesis 3 There will be no significant difference in

perceived confidence of college students in appropriately intervening with a friend who has an eating disorder based on social connections. Significant F(5, 408) = 3.352, p = .006

Null Hypothesis 4 There will be no significant difference in

how important college students feel it is to be knowledgeable regarding eating disorders based on their sex. Significant F(5, 408) = 3.406, p = .009

Null Hypothesis 5 There will be no significant difference in

how important college students feel it is to be knowledgeable regarding eating disorders based on their current involvement in disordered eating. Not significant F(5, 408) = .310, p = .871

Null Hypothesis 6 There will be no significant difference in

how important college students feel it is to be knowledgeable regarding eating disorders based on their social connections Not significant F(5, 408) = 1.555, p = .185

Null hypothesis 7 There will be no significant difference in

how knowledgeable college students are regarding eating disorders based on sex. Significant F(1, 416) = 62.29, p < .001

Null hypothesis 8 There will be no significant difference in

how knowledgeable college students are regarding eating disorders based on current involvement in disordered eating. Not significant F(1, 417) = 2.729, p = .099

Null hypothesis 9 There will be no significant difference in

how knowledgeable college students are regarding eating disorders based on social connections. Not significant F(1, 416) = .580, p = .447

Null hypothesis 10 There will be no significant difference in

college students’ current involvement of disordered eating based on sex. Not significant 42.8% of male participants and 45.6% of

female participants reported engaging in some aspect of disordered eating.

P = .564

Null hypothesis 11 There will be no significant difference in

college students’ current involvement in disordered eating based on social connections. Not significant 47% currently engaged in disordered

eating with low reported social connections P = .420

Discussion

Questions?

References American Psychiatric Association. (2001). Diagnostic and statistical manual of

mental disorders (4th ed., Text Rev.). Washington, DC: Author. Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment and loss: Retrospect and prospect. American

Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 52, 664-678. Krahn, D. D., Kurth, C. L., Gomberg, E., & Drewnowski, A. (2005). Pathological

dieting and alcohol use in college women - A continuum of behaviors. Eating Behaviors, 6, 43-52. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbehav.2004.08.004

Meyer, D. F., & Russell, R. K. (1998). Caretaking, separation from parents, and the development of eating disorders. Journal of Counseling & Development, 76, 166-174.

Resnick, M. D., Bearman, P. S., Blum, R. W., Bauman, K. E., Harris, K. M., Jones, J., Tabor, J., et al. (1997). Protecting adolescents from harm: Findings from the

National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health. Journal of the American Medical Association, 278, 823-832. Zerbe, K. J. (1995). The body betrayed: A deeper understanding of women,

eating disorders, and treatment. Calsbad, CA: Gurze Book